Apple changes water-damaged iPhone replacement policy

If you have a water-damaged iPhone and are looking to replace it, we have good …

Apple's retail stores have adopted a new policy on replacing water-damaged iPhones. Originally pointed out to us by�ifoAppleStore,�Apple has begun offering $199 replacement phones for users whose iPhones have died thanks to water or moisture. Previous to this new policy, frustrated customers had to buy a new phone and extend their contracts.

No one was particularly happy when Apple began including the water-sensing tab in its iPhones. It meant that no one could put the phone on the drying rack, wait a day, and then claim it suddenly stopped working to an Apple Store Genius. However, this change in policy makes accidents easier to swallow when your iPhone takes the plunge.

We decided to call our local Apple Store to confirm the policy ourselves. A courteous gentlemen at the Salem, New Hampshire store said that we could indeed replace our water-damaged iPhone for a fee of $199 and confirmed that the policy was new. Further, the associate told us that regardless of whether the phone is a 3G or original iPhone, it would be replaced with a same-generation phone (forget trying to upgrade without upgrading your current contract). Not all replacements will be new phones, however; some customers will receive refurbished phones.